The Cool London Denim Jackets That Let You Wear Your Heart on Your Back

Those who believe it’s impossible to meet eligible partners in bars these days, let alone develop a highly covetable denim jacket line with said person after a wine-fueled “creative jam session,” well, they simply need to meet Caine London’s cocreators, stylist Hayley Caine and musician Matt Allchin. After a chance meeting at a Peckham pub three years ago, they’ve been dating ever since and recently devised a line of some of the coolest refurbished vintage denim jackets we’ve seen lately. The jackets are painted with wry Canal art portraits of ’90s pop culture idols like Tupac Shakur, Kurt Cobain, and Johnny Depp, and are so crush-worthy that we here at the Vogue offices had to get our hands on them immediately. Caine London’s kitschy throwback moment seems so on par with denim trends these days, but came out a conversation over drinks one evening. “Canal art, Nirvana, Pop Art, graffiti, and the joy of painting all seemed to be in the ether at the time, so we just thought, ‘Great, let’s put that on a jacket!’” the couple wrote recently.

And while the idea for the line came together mostly instinctively, the duo’s painting process is clearly meticulous and calculated. The colorful portraits that sprawl across the backs of cool, distressed jean jackets they pick up at vintage stores and fairs are hardly perfect, but distinct details like the blue of Tupac’s signature bandana and Kurt Cobain’s trademark bug-eye sunglasses are the result of a three-day collaborative process. “We wouldn’t say it’s satire, but more of a celebration of fan art or tattoos and an exploration of what it means to be an idol. It’s amazing that a hat or a ring or a bandana can really signify one individual.” Hence, why the two are thinking of expanding the crew of featured subjects to include Prince, The Notorious B.I.G., Marilyn Monroe, and Miley Cyrus (“just think of the colors!”). Better still: Matching, repurposed, hand-painted jeans are in the pipeline, too, which we can only imagine will necessitate another Vogue group photo.